Missing Pieces
by DBSean
Summary: For so long, Adora and Catra had been disparate halves in conflict with each other, knowing how perfectly they fit together while being cursed to always remain apart. For so long, they had been missing pieces.


" **Missing Pieces"**

 **A/N: You know, when I first started writing She-Ra fanfiction, I thought I would pump out one or two stories and then move on. But then, I figured, why not just let it consume my entire life? So, here we are.**

"Psst!"

Catra was on her way to her private quarters within the Fright Zone when she heard the sound. She had the distinct, almost preternatural feeling that she was being followed as she traversed the fortress's labyrinthine corridors, but had thus far been unable to catch the culprit, and was just about to chalk it up to healthy paranoia when her pursuer decided to make themselves known.

Catra spun around on a dime, claws unsheathed and tail bristling, ready for battle…

…to find Adora standing in the middle of the corridor leading to her quarters.

Adora, Catra noted quickly, _not_ She-Ra. She still had the sword strapped to her back, but she appeared to be in no rush to draw it. In fact, Adora didn't look like she wanted to fight at all; if anything, she looked somewhat awkward standing there in the hallway, half-pressed against the near wall, a single hand raised as if to say "hello."

"Hey, Catra," Adora spoke first, smiling shyly.

"Adora," Catra said in response, narrowing her eyes in suspicion and maintaining her battle stance. "How did you get in here?"

"Well…I did grow up here," Adora answered, her shy smile slowly transforming into something more akin to a smirk. "I mean, we spent pretty much all of our time as kids exploring this place, if you remember."

"I remember," Catra confirmed coldly, still suspicious. "What are you doing here, Adora?"

"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to see you?" Adora asked, blushing lightly.

Catra blinked. "You…wanted to see me?"

Adora nodded.

"You snuck into the Fright Zone and infiltrated the Horde's best monitors and defenses just because you wanted to _see_ me?"

Adora simply shrugged a little sadly. "I miss you."

 _No wonder we're losing this war_ , Catra thought to herself.

"You still have your sword," she pointed out.

"Just because I used to live here doesn't mean I think I'm welcome," Adora explained, crossing her arms impatiently. "Besides, the only time I ever get to see you is when we're fighting or you're trying to kill me. Can you really blame me for being armed just in case?"

 _Fair enough_ , thought Catra.

"Catra, I promise I didn't come here to fight," Adora reiterated. "I'm not here to learn Horde secrets or assassinate you or sabotage anything. I just…I thought we could talk."

 _Talk about what?_ Catra wondered. _Talk about how you betrayed me?_

But Catra knew Adora was nothing if not sincere, and her heightened feline instincts sensed no danger from her former friend. Yes, she had been following her, but hadn't she also willingly revealed herself? Likewise, while Adora knew the ins and outs of the Fright Zone as well as Catra did, the fact remained that she was in the middle of Horde central command, literally surrounded by enemies on every side. If it was a trap, it was a remarkably poor one.

"Fine, Adora, let's pretend I believe you," she finally said, rolling her eyes and falling backwards so she could lean against the wall across from Catra. "What do you want to talk about?"

Adora paused for a moment, as if debating how best to say what she was thinking, before simply coming right out and saying: "I want you to join the Rebellion."

Catra scowled. "Adora – "

"Look, I get it, okay?" Adora interrupted, knowing exactly what Catra was about to say. "I abandoned you. I left you behind. And I'm sorry about that. But you're still my friend, Catra, and you're _better_ than this. You're better than the Horde."

"But still not as good as _you_ , is that it?" Catra countered, already feeling the anger bubbling inside her.

"That's not what I said!"

"It's what you _meant_!"

"No, it's not!" Adora argued, now scowling just as much as Catra was. "I know I hurt you, Catra. I know I made you feel like you were always second-best. But I never _meant_ to. All I ever wanted was my friend. And that's…that's all I want now."

Catra was surprised to see what looked to be tears gleaming along the edges of Adora's eyes as she spoke, and suddenly all of the anger she was feeling began to subside as she realized the unspoken truth behind Adora's words.

"This has nothing to do with the Rebellion at all, does it?" Catra asked, surprised at how softly she spoke. "You aren't asking me to join the Rebellion. You're asking me to join… _you_."

Adora nodded sadly, looking away so she could wipe the tears from her eyes. "I told you…I miss you."

There were a few moments of silence between them after that, as Catra allowed Adora the time and privacy to compose herself and wipe away the last of her tears. Catra knew how this conversation was going to end, in a way that left neither of them happy, and was willing to postpone that for as long as she could.

Still…Catra would have been lying if she didn't find Adora's proposal at least a _little_ alluring. To be free of the Horde, free of Hordak's totalitarian nightmare, free of war and blood and death; it was appealing. But it was unrealistic; worse, as far as Catra was concerned, it would be a huge step backwards. She had fought long and hard to get to where she was now. Nothing – not even Adora – was worth giving all of it up.

Right?

"I can't just _leave_ like you can," Catra finally said, still looking away and suddenly finding herself unable to look Adora in the eye. "The Horde is my home. I have friends here. I have a life of my own. I can't just…leave everything behind just because you miss me."

"I know," Adora admitted, still sniffling a bit. "And…I understand. It's selfish of me to even ask. I just…I miss having you in my life."

 _You, too_ , Catra thought to herself, knowing she would never admit it out loud.

"Look, you should go before someone finds out you're here," she said instead, pushing herself off the wall. "But…I'll think about it, okay?"

Adora's face lit up so quickly it was like someone turned a light on.

"Really?" she asked, the hints of a smile returning to eradicate the last of her tears. "You promise?"

"I said I'll _think_ about it," Catra reiterated, putting on her best scowl. "Now get out of here before I sound the alarm. I'll see you next time I try to invade Bright Moon or something, okay?"

Adora smiled and, for a moment, Catra felt her heart skip a beat. "It's a date!"

And then she was gone, turning the corner around the corridor and disappearing into the bowels of the Fright Zone. Catra knew she would escape without incident; she had gotten inside without any trouble, after all, and it wasn't like Adora to be sloppy or careless. She was just about to punch in the code that would unlock the door to her quarters when Adora's words really sank in.

 _Did…Adora just ask me out on a date?_

True to her word, the next time Catra and Adora met, it was on the battlefield.

The Horde had launched a fresh assault against the kingdom of Plumeria, the beginning of their plan to isolate the kingdoms of the Rebellion from one another and cut off their supply lines. Luckily for the Rebellion, they were not unprepared; either by chance or by providence, the so-called Best Friend Squad of Adora, Glimmer, and Bow had been visiting Perfuma just as the attack began. Bolstered by Plumeria's own soldiers, it made for a much fairer fight.

With Glimmer and Bow busy fighting off Scorpia at the head of assault, Adora elected to transform into She-Ra and break apart the Horde's ranks from within. With a mighty leap, she flew into the air and then came crashing down right in the middle of the nearest battalion, crushing a tank into nothing as she landed upon it. A moment later, she was fighting off a dozen Horde soldiers at once, expertly deflecting their blows and then sending them flying off into the distance with a single punch each.

Adora was just beginning to wonder if Catra was part of the assault when a laser blast struck her right in the back and sent her flying forward unceremoniously. Recovering quickly, she spun around to find Catra watching her from atop a nearby tank, a smirk on her face and a smoking blaster in her hand.

"Hey, Adora," she purred mockingly, purposefully stretching out the final syllable. Adora both loved _and_ hated when Catra said her name like that. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Attacking while my back is turned, huh?" Adora asked, tightening her grip on the Sword of Protection. "That's low, even for you, Catra."

"Nothing's too low for me," Catra responded as she drew a laser-staff from within the tank and then leapt into the air. "All's fair in love and war!"

Then the actual fighting began, with Adora deflecting or parrying each blow of Catra's laser-staff, being careful not to let the staff touch her skin lest she feel its painful current. Catra's speed and agility was more than a match for She-Ra's mighty strength, and soon the two were caught in yet another one of their epic duels.

Sword and staff flew and struck, sometimes hitting their target, sometimes missing, most of the time striking one another and leading to yet another attack. Theirs was a dance they had performed many times before, on many battlefields, and both warriors knew well the strengths and weaknesses of the other.

In fact, the only thing that made this battle any different was the quality of the conversation.

"So, did you think about it?" Adora asked as she brushed aside one of Catra's strikes by deflecting it with the gold brace on her wrist.

"Think about _what_?" Catra responded, leaping back before Adora could counterattack.

"About leaving the Horde, dummy!" Adora hissed back, careful to lower her voice so none of the surrounding soldiers could hear their conversation. "It's been over a week. I thought maybe you had made a decision."

"Really, Adora? You want to do this _now_?" Catra asked incredulously. She lifted her laser-staff just in time to defend herself, stopping Adora's sword mere inches before it could strike her.

"Why not?"

"We're supposed to be fighting!"

"We're _always_ fighting!" Adora countered with a groan, jumping backwards in order to withdraw her blade and then ducking as Catra swung her staff horizontally. "When else am I ever going to see you?"

Catra couldn't argue that; it was a good point. It wasn't like she expected Adora to sneak into the Fright Zone on a regular basis, and she certainly wasn't going to just stroll up to Bright Moon Palace for a visit anytime soon. But the fact remained that they were in the middle of a battle, and Catra was _trying_ to concentrate.

"I'm just not ready yet, okay?" Catra finally answered, shoving her staff into the earth beneath her feet and then using it to propel herself directly into She-Ra, knocking the legendary warrior back onto the ground.

"Will you _ever_ be ready?" Adora asked in response, kicking her legs up just in time to stop Catra from landing on top of her and then throwing her backwards.

"I don't know!" Catra hissed angrily, successfully flipping in midair before finally landing with all the grace of her namesake. She was far enough away that she spared a second to look over the battlefield before frowning in disappointment. "Damn it, we're getting our butts kicked. Look, Adora, can we do this some other time?"

"Like when you're trying to invade Salineas or burn down the Whispering Wood?" Adora responded coldly. She was running at Catra now, sword drawn as she closed the distance between them.

"No, sometime else!" Catra replied, leaping out of the way just in time so that Adora bypassed her directly and instead ended up thrusting her sword deep into the trunk of a tree. "We'll see each other again. Outside of battle. Okay?"

Adora frowned as she plucked her blade from the tree. "You promise?"

"Come on, Adora – "

"Promise me, Catra!"

"Fine, I promise!" Catra finally responded. She spun around upon hearing a mighty explosion in the distance, and then audibly groaned when she realized it was one of the Horde's last tanks. "Oh, come on! I _told_ Octavia not to bring the older models, but does she listen? No! I swear, I am surrounded by idiots!"

 _Some things never change_ , Adora thought to herself.

"Trouble in paradise?" she asked out loud, smirking lightly. She still had her sword drawn, but was no longer planning another attack, instead waiting to see if Catra wished to continue their fight at all.

"Ugh!" Catra groaned loudly, clearly out of patience. "Adora, I gotta go handle this, but…I'll see you soon, okay?"

"I'm holding you to that," Adora said with a small smile. "And…it was good seeing you again."

"Yeah, you, too," Catra said distractedly, sighing as she watched yet another tank go down in flames. "Good luck."

Then she was gone, having leapt back into the battle proper, bouncing off tanks and the heads of unwary Rebellion soldiers. Soon enough, Catra was on the other side of the field entirely, and Adora could just barely hear her yelling at her subordinates to get their act together.

 _She just wished me luck_ , Adora thought to herself with a knowing smile as she likewise threw herself back into the fray, sword in hand and strength renewed. _I think she misses me._

Two weeks later, it was Adora's birthday, and she honestly thought it was one of the happiest days of her life.

While birthdays were known and honored in the Horde, they were never causes for celebration; though, to be fair, _nothing_ was ever worthy of celebration in the Horde. Cadets would receive extra rations and a new uniform, but that was about it. So when Adora offhandedly revealed to Glimmer and Bow her birthday was coming up ("Guess I won't be getting a new uniform this year, huh?"), she didn't fully understand their excitement.

By the end of the day, though, she understood. Glimmer and Bow had invited all of the Princesses (and Sea Hawk) to celebrate Adora's birthday, and each of them had brought with them a gift, each more special than the last. A dinner hosted by Queen Angella herself followed, with each and every one of Adora's favorite meals on display. It was a day of fun and laughter and friendship, and infinitely better than a new Horde uniform. In short, it was everything Adora could have ever wanted.

Well…almost everything.

"Wakey, wakey, princess."

Adora sprang to her feet with a start, her hands on the Sword of Protection in an instant and her every sense on high alert. She had just collapsed into her bed, the festivities of her birthday having finally ended, and was about to fall asleep when she heard the intruder's voice.

"Who's there?" she asked loudly, gripping her sword and looking around her darkened room as quickly as she could. Her room was simply too big, she thought, leaving far too many darkened corners and shadows to hide in. "Show yourself!"

There was some shuffling in the darkness, along with a laugh. "You still get really grumpy when you're tired, you know that? Looks like some things really don't change."

Adora lowered her sword somewhat; she recognized that voice. "Catra? Is that you?"

A second later, there Catra was, descending from the ceiling and gracefully landing on the floor a meter or two in front of Adora. Where she came from, or for how long she had been present, Adora had no idea, and she knew Catra wasn't likely to tell her anytime soon.

"Hey, Adora," she said with a smirk as she leaned nonchalantly against the wall. "You act like you're surprised to see me. It was _your_ idea to meet up."

"I know, I just…that was weeks ago!" Adora responded, almost incredulously, dropping her sword now that she realized who she was speaking to. "I thought maybe you forgot. And I didn't think I'd find you hiding in my room! How did you get in here, anyway?"

Catra shrugged and began studying her claws, as though it were no trouble at all. "It wasn't that hard, really. I've been scoping this place out for weeks. I did have to knock out a few guards, though. They're tied up in the woods. You should really beef up your security."

 _Great_ , Adora thought with a minor scowl, _I'll probably end up getting blamed for that._

"This room of yours is ridiculous, by the way," Catra pointed out, looking around the darkened room with a smirk on her face. "I mean…a waterfall? Really? Hordak won't even let me have a mini-fridge in my place. Maybe I _should_ join the Rebellion after all."

"Same old Catra," Adora commented. "But, really…what are you doing here?"

"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to see you?" Catra responded, mimicking Adora's own words from almost a month prior. "Besides, I couldn't exactly send a birthday card."

Adora smiled. "You remembered."

"Yeah," said Catra, smirking lightly as she pushed herself off the wall and revealed a package. It was small, and poorly wrapped, no doubt due to the scarcity of such material in the Fright Zone. "I remembered."

Adora blinked in surprise. "You…got me a gift?"

"It's really not a big deal," Catra said, shrugging as she tossed the gift over, knowing Adora would catch it without fail, which she did. "It's still better than extra rations and a new uniform, though."

Adora only half-heard Catra's words, however, as she was too busy tearing apart the poorly-wrapped package to find the gift within. It took a moment, but soon she had it open and was eagerly looking into the small box to see what Catra had given her.

She gasped. "Is this what I think it is?"

"It is," Catra confirmed with a confident smirk.

It was a portable wrist-communicator, a device designed by the Horde and given only to high-ranking officials like Force Captains or long-distance operatives like scouts and spies. With the press of a few buttons, one could use it to speak with someone all the way on the other side of Etheria, provided one knew the correct code and frequency.

"I had Entrapta modify it when she updated mine," Catra explained, holding up her wrist to reveal her own communicator. "Asked her to remove the locator and scramble the frequency so no one can trace you. And I'm the only one you can call, too, so don't think you're going to use it to spy on Horde communication."

"You mean…I'll be able to talk to you?" Adora asked, finally looking up from the communicator. "Whenever I want? Not just when we're fighting?"

"Uh…yeah, Adora. That's what I just said." Catra smiled, amused, as she watched Adora excitedly strap the communicator to her wrist and begin adjusting the settings like a child playing with a new toy.

"I love it," Adora gushed, before turning to look back at Catra. "I love _you_."

A moment later, Catra was struggling to breathe as Adora threw herself at her and pulled her into the one of the tightest hugs Catra had ever experienced. She tried not to register the fact that her heart had skipped a beat the moment Adora touched her, or the giddy feeling she had in her stomach as Adora embraced her as though clinging to dear life.

"Thank you," Adora said softly, only squeezing tighter as she practically buried her face into Catra's neck. "This is the best gift I could have ever asked for."

"It's really not a big deal," Catra gasped back, doing her best to fight the blush creeping upon her cheeks. "It's just a communicator."

"It's more than that," Adora explained, finally pulling back ever so slightly so she could look Catra in the eye and revealing her own were filled with tears of happiness, the better to compliment her joyous smile. "It's _you_ , Catra. You gave me you."

And, despite herself, Catra felt herself smile back. Wriggling one of her arms free from Adora's crushing bear hug, she lifted up a single hand and gently placed it on Adora's cheek, her heart fluttering as she noticed the blush spreading across the other girl's face. How long had it been since they had smiled at each other like this? How long had it been since they could be themselves, without She-Ra, without Hordak, without the war and everything else?

Then they were hugging again, and Catra was fighting back tears of her own as she felt her grip tighten on Adora, as if afraid of ever letting go again. Adora hugged her right back, nuzzling into her shoulder as she felt Catra's tail wrapping around her waist affectionately.

"I've missed you, Catra," she whispered softly, her voice muffled by Catra's thick brown hair.

"I know," Catra responded just as softly, closing her eyes against the sting of the coming tears. "I've missed you, too, Adora."

They stood there for some time, just holding one another and feeling the warmth of the other's presence, ignorant of the darkened room around them or the night beyond the walls of the palace. Adora would have been content to remain there for the rest of the night had Catra not finally pulled back, frowning a little as she did so.

"I should go," she said, the regret evident in her voice. She was about to turn tail and leave when she suddenly felt Adora reach out and grab her by the hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Stay," Adora said softly, her blue eyes looking deep into Catra's own. "Stay with me. Please."

Catra felt her heart sink. "Adora, I told you, I can't just – "

"Not for good," Adora interrupted, knowing exactly what Catra was going to say before she even had the chance to say it. "Not if you don't want to. Just for tonight. Please. Just…just stay with me."

Catra knew she should refuse. Spending the night away from the Fright Zone without prior authorization was dangerous enough, but doing so in Bright Moon Palace, main base of the Rebellion? She didn't even want to think about what might happen should Hordak find out.

But then…how would he ever find out? It wasn't like Hordak constantly needed her by his side; she rarely saw the warlord apart from their weekly war council meetings. And Entrapta had removed the locator from Catra's communicator just as she had done with Adora's, so he wouldn't be able to find her even if he wanted to.

In the end, Catra's decision was based more on which choice would cause her less pain in the long run. She knew well the consequences for failing Hordak: demotion, confinement, torture, possibly even execution. But disappointing Adora? Leaving her alone when she so clearly needed Catra to be with her right now?

That would surely break her heart. And that was something Catra knew she wouldn't survive.

"Just for tonight?" she finally said, knowing she made the right choice as soon as she saw Adora's eyes begin to light up.

"Just for tonight," Adora confirmed with a smile.

They went to bed together, as they had done a thousand times before in what seemed like a different lifetime, but with such casualness it was as if they had never stopped. Catra waited until Adora was comfortably under the covers before settling in right next to her, always preferring the cool night air to the fiber of the blankets. Once she was curled up and comfortable, Adora freed one hand from the blankets in order to rest it on Catra's head, gently scratching her friend behind the ears. A moment later, Catra was purring, and all was right with the world.

"I missed this," Adora admitted sleepily as she let Catra's slowly purrs lull her into slumber.

"Me, too," Catra said quietly, nuzzling into Adora's touch. "Just like old times."

Adora smiled. "Good night, Catra."

"Good night, Adora."

They fell asleep like that, together, feeling more content than either of them had in a very long time. For so long, they had fought on opposite sides, worked for different goals, slept and lived without the other. For so long, they had been disparate halves in conflict with each other, knowing how perfectly they fit together while being cursed to always remain apart. For so long, they had been missing pieces.

But right then, as they laid together in bed, heartbeats and breaths slowly becoming synchronized in slumber, for the first time in a long time…they felt whole.

 **A/N: Comments and reviews sustain me, so let me know what you think!**


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